The FE218 is designed to be used where the quality of sound recorded is of utmost importance. It is a large diaphragm condenser, but in the form of a miniature pencil mic! The FE218 is 1.25" diameter by 3.7" long.

We only produce this microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern because the large diaphragm inherently makes the microphone very directional at high frequencies, and we want to keep the frequency response as consistent as possible off axis. If you wish to special order an omnidirectional version, please contact us.

Op-Amp Based Preamplifier:
These microphones are made standard with a Burr Brown OPA-134 opamp. This opamp provides excellent audio performance, low noise, and low power consumption. If you have a particular interest in opamps, we give you the option to choose whatever opamp you want to be used, and we will put it in for you. That way, you can fine-tune the sound of our microphone to your liking. See our Info page for a selection of opamps.

The FET utilized as the first amplifier stage in the FE-218 has been selected from a large sample group, for best noise performance. Additionally, the pad in this microphone takes effect before the FET stage, so this microphone can handle SPL levels beyond 150dB!

Reliability:
The capsule is hard-wired, and not removable to ensure reliability. We have found in other mics that have removable capsules, that sometimes the connection between capsule and preamp can develop faults. Corrosion of the contacts or loosening the capsule can make the microphone intermittent, and introduce hum and other artifacts into the audio. These issues must be avoided in a live recording situation, and they can waste valuable time during a recording session.

With proper care (a microphone is a precision tool after all, and should be treated as such) our microphones will last for many years, without any maintenance required! Just in case, we offer an outstanding five year warranty for any problems you might have.

Internally biased capsule:
The capsule is a back-electret design. That means the charge-holding electret material is located on the backplate, and not on the diaphragm. The diaphragm can be manufactured using the same process as a standard condenser microphone, and the low quality sound commonly associated with electret microphones doesn't apply here!